1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a document processing system in which document data is converted into data of an intermediate format and the converted data of the intermediate format is fetched into one document, thereby collectively processing a plurality of kinds of data without limiting applications for editing and forming various kinds of data.
In such a document processing system, since the data formed by a plurality of applications is held in the intermediate format, for example, an addition of page numbers and a change in page order can be easily realized. Further, in the document processing system, a finishing setting such as staple, punch, or the like can be also executed. Therefore, for example, by applying a finisher function which a printer option has to a document which is obtained by electronically merge-processing the data formed every various kinds of applications, the document can be stapled.
Further, in the document processing system, ability information which a printer for executing printing has is obtained and whether or not a designation of the finishing can be realized before the start of the printing can be discriminated by using the obtained printer ability information. Therefore, for example, such a mistake that although the staple and punch had been designated, only the punch could be performed as a result of the printing can be checked prior to starting the printing. Consequently, such a situation that a printed matter of a format which is not desired by the user is formed is prevented and such a situation that a time and costs are wastefully consumed by a misprint can be avoided.
However, in the document processing system in the related art, whether or not the setting of the finishing can be realized by using only the ability held in the printer for executing the printing is discriminated. Therefore, even if it is intended to realize the setting by using a plurality of devices, when the printer for executing the printing does not have a necessary function, print setting information showing use of such a function cannot be set.
Or, even in the case where the print setting can be performed, the document processing system copes with such a situation by changing setting contents to only the functions held in the printer for executing the printing. For example, when the user intends to form a document to which a Z-folding and the staple have been applied, if the printer for executing the printing has only the staple function, the document processing system cancels the setting of the Z-folding which is not held in the printer for executing the printing. In such a case, even if it is intended to realize the Z-folding by a folding machine, since the document has already been bound by the stapler, the document cannot be processed by the folding machine. The user folds it by manual work or after the stapler was temporarily removed, the document is processed by the folding machine and is stapled after that, so that it causes a deterioration in productivity.
To prevent such a problem, the user decides a range of settings to be executed for the printer for executing the printing and applies only the decided setting items to the document. Therefore, since the user needs a skill to decide the setting items and the decision of the setting items and the application to the document are the manual work, such a failure that the document is printed without setting the necessary setting items occurs.
According to the foregoing technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H09-265362, a discrimination about a color and a monochromatic color (characteristics of a page) is made page by page, a color flag is turned on/off, and a printer on a transmission destination side is switched to either a color printer or a monochromatic printer based on the on/off state of the color flag. Further, according to the technique of the Patent Document 1 mentioned above, a dummy page is inserted into a portion where there is a page printed to the other printer so that a merge process of an output matter distributed to two printers can be easily performed.
However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H09-265362 is a system in which a device which can be executed is simply selected by paying an attention to specific setting items. Therefore, in the case of the example of the staple and the Z-folding, according to the related art, such a problem that if the staple was performed by the printer, the Z-folding cannot be performed in a post-process cannot be prevented.
The invention is made in consideration of such a problem and it is an object of the invention to allow a process regarding a print setting to be efficiently executed by a plurality of devices.